Evolving Relationships and Dynamics Between Two- and Four-Year Colleges and Universities

美国国家科学院（NAS）任命了一个专门的专家指导委员会，并就社区大学的科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）教育以及2年制和4年制大学之间不断发展的关系举行了规划会议和峰会。在过去的15年里，社区学院在STEM领域的角色发生了深刻的变化，本次峰会探讨了这些变化及其对社区学院（包括学生和机构）、四年制机构、中等教育和劳动力的影响。这一倡议的智力价值在于，美国国家科学院作为一个中立的召集人，汇集了广泛的专家、政策制定者、来自商界和工业界的代表以及其他很少相互沟通的利益相关者，共同制定更具战略意义的方法，以增强社区学院在STEM领域的作用，更好地利用两年制和四年制高等教育机构之间不断变化的关系和动态。这项工作正在研究NAS如何向高等教育和政策团体阐明和沟通以下问题：(1)2年制和4年制学院和大学在STEM教育方面的变化动态；(2)阻碍或促进2- 4年衔接的问题和政策；(3)社区大学在为STEM专业学生准备转移和进入劳动力市场方面的潜在冲突作用；(4)从战略性跨机构关系中为学生、教师和机构带来的规划、经济和智力机会；(5)在日益全球化的经济中，社区学院作为STEM教育的卓越典范，以及在培养全球准备的技术劳动力方面所扮演的角色。此外，此次峰会是在2010年秋季由白宫主办的社区学院峰会的基础上进行的，允许专家和关键利益相关者在2年制和4年制机构中解决STEM教育的关键问题。国家科学院正在编制一份总结报告。预计峰会之后的出版物、广泛分发和战略讨论将产生更广泛的影响，如美国社区学院协会和其他高等教育组织的年度会议、STEM学科协会、许多对社区学院角色感兴趣的学院参与常设董事会和委员会，以及由NSF和其他州和联邦机构主办的额外会议。

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is appointing an ad-hoc steering committee of experts and holding a planning meeting and a summit on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in community colleges and the evolving relationships between 2- and 4-year institutions in STEM. The roles of community colleges in STEM have changed profoundly in the last 15 years, and this summit examines changes and their effects on community colleges (both students and institutions), 4-year institutions, secondary education, and the workforce. The intellectual merit of this initiative is the National Academies' role as a neutral convener bringing together a broad spectrum of experts, policymakers, representatives from business and industry and other stakeholders who rarely communicate with each other to develop more strategic approaches to enhance the roles of community colleges in STEM and better capitalize on the changing relationships and dynamics between 2- and 4-year institutions of higher education. This effort is examining ways in which the NAS might elucidate and communicate to higher education and policy communities about (1) changing dynamics between 2- and 4-year colleges and universities in STEM education; (2) issues and policies that inhibit or facilitate 2-to 4-year articulation; (3) potentially conflicting roles of community colleges in preparing STEM majors for transfer and to enter the workforce; (4) programmatic, economic, and intellectual opportunities of benefit to students, faculty, and institutions from strategic cross-institutional relationships; and (5) roles of community colleges both as models of excellence for STEM education in an increasingly global economy and in educating a globally prepared technical workforce. Additionally, the summit is building on the Summit on Community Colleges that was hosted by the White House in Fall 2010 by allowing experts and critical stakeholders to address critical issues in STEM education at 2- and 4-year institutions. The NAS is producing a summary report. Broader impacts are expected to result from the publication, broad distribution, and strategic discussions following the summit in venues such as annual meetings of the American Association of Community Colleges and other higher education organizations, STEM disciplinary societies, many of the Academies' participating standing boards and committees with interests in the roles of community colleges as well as additional sessions hosted by the NSF and other state and federal agencies.